Single shaft loom



June 5, 1956 s u 2,748,806

SINGLE SHAFT LOOM Filed Nov. 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l /LX/////L// `52 `5a F'gl.

June 5, 1956 J. STUER SINGLE SHAFT LOOM Filed Nov. 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z JV V EN TOR.

June 5, 1956 J sTUER 2,748,806

SINGLE SHAFT LOOM Filed Nov. 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent O SINGLE SHAFT LOOM Joseph Stuer, Lawrence, Mass.

Application November 29, 1952, Serial No. 323,233

Claims. (CI. 139-146) This invention relates to looms for weaving, in which there is a loom frame on which is a breast beam over which the cloth, when woven, passes. This we will call the front of the loom, and in speaking of right and left, we will speak of them, right being at the right of a person facing the cloth, the dr-awings being shown as they appear or would appear to such person, the back being the part of the loom where the warp beam or beams are located.

In such looms, the well known and fundamental parts are the lay, which is supported by swords and carries the race for a shuttle, and reed for beating up the filling, the lay being pivotal with a rocker shaft and carrying with it a picker and a picker stick which drive the shuttle across the loom through a shed in the warp produced by two or more harnesses which are usually operated by what are known as jacks.

There are other well known parts such as shuttle checks or frictions, and there may or may not be what is known as a head motion which is used for various purposes including shifting one or more shuttle boxes in each of which there may be two or more cells to receive shuttles.

The particular purpose of this invention is to improve and particularly to simplify a well known picking action for Operating the two picker sticks, each of which is of the type pivoted near the bottom and movable with the lay, back and forth towards the breast beam, each being provided with a returning spring, usually at the bottom, which tends to keep the picker and that end of the picker stick away from the side and which after each action of the picker, to throw the shuttle across the loom, returns the stick with its picker to what might be called its normal or waiting position.

In many of such looms, there is what is known as the top shaft provided with arms and connections to the lay, this shaft being caused to revolve by suitable power means applied to a gear at its outside end. The lay moves forward to beat up the filling into the cloth and back at the same time the shed of the warp is opened to allow a shuttle to be driven across by the picking action.

This picker action in this type of loom is controlled by a gear at the end of what' is known as the bottom shaft, such gear, being twice the size of the top gear whereby the bottom shaft is provided with two picking roller arms which may be oppositely disposed or in some cases there are four arms, each in opposite pairs and in every case there is at the end of each of these picking roller arms, a picking roller to engage a shoe on what is known as a picking shaft, sometimes known as a square shaft because it is usually square. The fishing or picker shaft carries 'a picking shoe or cam arm which projects laterally from it and is provided with a suitably cut cam face which when engaged by the picking roller turns the picker shaft and carries With it what is known as a sweep arm which by means of a sweep stick and usually a lug strap passed around a picker stick moves the picker stick in the peculiar motion required to throw a shuttle at great speed between the warp threads in the shed and across the loom.

In my Construction, I entirely do away with the bottom shaft and so readjust and rearranged the parts that the picking roller arms are carried by the top shaft or drive shaft and while in the usual Construction the picking roller sweeps from the front towards the back, in my Construction it sweeps from the back towards the front.

Each picking roller is outside instead of inside its picking shoe. The respective sweep arms, each of which is carried by a picking shaft extend down instead of up.

With my simplified construction, I thus have the arms for the picking rollers on the top shaft, and they can be more readily adjusted, to the desired angle for timing the picking action with reference to the picking shoes which are also more easily adjustable, than where there are two shafts.

The picking shafts can be so arranged that both picker sticks will move towards and away from each other on every pick or, by a very simple slide arrangement and change in the front and back bearngs of the picking shaft, instead ofmoving the picking roller arms on a bottom shaft, I move the two picking shafts in a pivotal motion laterally, from right to left and left to right in a horizontal plane, which causes alternate motions of the picker sticks thereby prolonging their life and reducing the wear on various other parts.

This alternate motion is known as two and two, and where both sticks move together, it is known in the industry as one and one.

Another important feature is that to avoid the lost motion and jarring of a gear drive, I provide at the end of the top or drive shaft a sheave made for a V belt which may be made of leather, rubber or composition, and which with the elimination of the bottom shaft and the loose motion which'is inseparable in every additional shaft, even with ball bearngs, greatly reduces vibration.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a diagrammatic se'ctional elevation looking from the back of a loom on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3,

with my picking motion devices shown in the form in' which they can be used in a loom in which the picker sticks and pickers are moved together towards and away from the inside.

Fig. 2 is a diagram from the back of a loom showing the mechanism for shifting the picking shafts laterally so that only one shoe will be engaged at each pick.

Fig. 3 is an elevational side view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 of 'a drive shaft with picking roller arm and roller, and a picking shaft.

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section, of the picking shaft in its bearngs as used in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view like Fig. 3 of another back bearng.

Fig. 6 is an elevational View as from the right of Fig. 1

showing the V belt drive motion.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to part of Fig. 3 with a picking roller on the crank arm of the drive shaft.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show other types of shoe or cam arm actuating members.

In the drawings, F represents the frame of a loom in which there is a breast or breast beam X over which the cloth travels together with a lay L carried by swords S, S, the loom being also provided with the usual harnesses indicated by M, M and jacks to operate the respective harnesses on head motion indicated by J. There is also a picker P which as shown, travels on a rod 29 and to which motion is given by the usual type of picker stick A.

There is also a rocker shaft 17 which reciprocates in any usual type of bearngs and carries with it the swords 2,748,soe

S with lay L and the usual reed, and which has the usual race for a shuttle not shown.

There is no bottom shaft but there is a drive or top shaft indicated by R which instead of being driven by a gear carries a sheave 50 for a V belt 51 which in turn is carried by a sheave 52, on shaft 53 of a motor K which as indicated is electric but might be any other type of drive.

The relation of the sheaves 50 and 52 is such that the speed of the motor is suitably reduced to conform with the desired back and forth movement of the lay and this determines the number of picks per minute. Shaft R carries two spaced apart crank arms 1 and 1 near the opposite ends thereof to each of which is pivoted at 3 a connecting rod 2 the other end of which is pivoted at 5 to the lay or to the lay swords. These parts are of the usual type and the drive shaft R is shown as moving from front to top center then back or counterclockwise, but it might be reversed if so desred.

I also use for inparting reciprocal motion laterally to each picker stick A, a picking shaft T which, however, instead of being near the bottom of the loom is moved up so that it is carried by the supports D and E for bearings such as B and C and it also carries a sweep arm 32 which instead of extending upward from the picking shaft T, extends down to a sweep stick 31 to which it is pivoted at 33, this sweep stick 31 being shown as carrying a lug strap 30 which extends around picker stick A, all in the usual manner.

By well known means, the sweep stick and lug strap 30 can be moved up or down on a picker stick A to determine the speed and force of the top end of the picker stick, and the picker P. As usual, there is a picker stick returning spring O at the bottom of each picker stick which tends at all times to move the top of the picker stick and the picker away from the center of the loom after the picking stroke which is produced as follows.

Picking shaft T, which for each picker extends from frontrto back, can turn in bearing C at the front, which bearing may be an universal ball or hearing, and cart turn in a hearing B at the back, which should be of the special type shown in Fig. 4. This allows this picking shaft to turn and to be moved in a horizontal plane laterally, but the back hearing may be an ordinary cylindrical bearing such as shown in Fig. 5 at 71.

Carried by the drive shaft R are a pair of laterally spaced apart arm actuating members in the form of two radially extending picking roller arms 4, 4 at the end of each of which is a picking roller 22 to engage one of a pair of arms, each extending radially from a picking shaft and formed as a picking shoe 34 with a suitably formed cam face 35. This shoe and cam face differs from those now in use in the fact that, while with a top and bottom shaft connected by gears, if the top shaft turns from front to top and back center, the picking roller arm and roller carried by the bottom shaft, which extends down, will move in an arc from front to bottom and back and the picking shoe cam face will project toward the inside of the loom.

In my Construction as shown clearly in Fig. 1, the cam face 35 extends outwardly from the inside and the high spot of the cam face is toward the front instead of toward the back of the loom.

It is obvious, therefore, that when the picking roller, swinging in an arc from back toward the front, engages the cam face, it will so turn picking shaft T that sweep a'm 32, With sweep stick 31, will swing toward the inside of the loom naturally carrying with it the picker stick.

As the picking roller leaves the picking shoe after it has stretched the picker stick return spring O, that spring will return the picker stick and picker to their usual or outside position, carrying with it the sweep stick and sweep arm. This Will also return the picking shaft T to and will keep it in its usual position.

As thcrc must be twc PClx'Cl' sticks, there must be two picking .roller arms such as each with a picking roller 22 and these arms must be substantially parallel so that both picker sticks and pickers will move together towards the inside of the loom, although one picker will engagc no shuttle because there s a shuttle in only one box.

To provide a device whereby each picker and its stick can be caused to move alternately, I find it convenient to mount each picking shaft T so that it can be turned and can also be so moved that the pieking shoe which it carrics will 'ce engaged only at every alternate pick.

N represents the whoie of my preferred type of devices to move shaft T to produce this alternate pick motion. As shown diagrammatically in Figs. l and 2, l utilize the head motion J by providing on a box chain H alternate risers 61, 61 between which are sinkers such as 62. Thus a vibrator lever and connectors, not shown, will pull up on a cord 60 connected to knee 43 or 73 of toggle joints 47, 48 and 77, 78 at every second, fourth, etc. pick and will release at the first, third, etc. pick. Cord 49 and spring 45 connected to knee 43 are thereby caused to open and close toggle joint 47, 48 pivotcd to the frame F at 42 and cord 79 and spring 75 connected to knee 73 are thereby caused to open and close toggle joint 77, 78 pvoted to frame F at 72 se as to move shocs 34 and 34 into and out of the path of each roller 22 as shown in Fig. 2.

Instead of providing risers such as 61, 61 on a box chain H, I may use any harness motion with a one and one motion or alternating reciprocating motion or even the lay motion by attaching a cord such as 60 to it in such a way that it will alternately be pulled at one pick and released at the next.

Each picking shaft T is shown in Fig. 4, as having a ball or universal bearing C in a girt E at the front and an oval hearing B in a girt D at the back.

46 and 76 are collars each at the end of an arm 47 or 77 of a toggle joint pivoted to frame F at 42 or 72, each with a knee joint 43 or 73 and each inclosing an intermediate portion of a shaft T.

On one side of a knee 43 or 73 is a tension spring 45 fixed at 44, or 75 fixed at 74, both in such a way that they tend to force a collar 46 or 76 with its picking shaft T to pivot on its front bearing C and to slide before turning in its back bearing B towards the outside of the loom and into the path of a pickng roller 22 and to hold it there against the side thrust of roller 22 when it engages the cam face 35 of a shoe 34 while it is turning shaft T to Swing sweep arm 32, sweep stick 31 and picker stick A and therefore picker P inward.

To the other side of each knee 43 or 73 is attached a cord 49 or 79. Cord 79 passes around sheaves 66 and 65 to cord 60 and cord 49 passes around pulleys 69, 68, 67 and sheaves 66 and 65 to cord 60.

By examining the diagram Fig. 2, it will be seen that when a riser 61 on one of the head motion Operating chains H pulls Upward through connecting cords 60 and 79, it pulls against spring 75 thereby moving a shoe 34 from the path of a picking roller 22 and the same pull, through cord 49 working against spring 45, moves the other picking shoe 34 into the path of the other picking roller 22 on the other arm 4, whereby only one picker stick is moved at one time by the shoe which is in the path of a picking roller- 22.

When a riser 61 lets go and is followed by a sinker 60, spring 75 moves toggle 77, 78 to just beyond dead center where it is held by stop 81 as toggle 47, 48 was held just beyond dead center by stop 80.

This alternate motion is desirable on certain types of looms, such as are known as two and two looms, but on other types of looms, one and one, by disconnectng the cord 60 and fastening cord 49 to hold knee 43 against stop 80, and allowing spring 75 to hold knee 73 against stop 81, both toggles will hold the shoes 34, 34 towards the outer side of the loom and will hold the inne: ende of the picking shafts T against the outside of the laterally elongated bearings B as both toggles will be at substantially dead center and in full extension. Thus both pickers will move together towards each other and away from each other if the one and one motion is desired.

The alternate picking mechanism N can be entirely omitted and instead of having an oval hearing suchas B at the back, the picking shaft T can be supported at each end by fixed bearings 71 in back girt 70 and by fixed hearing 731 in front girt 72 as shownin Fig. 5 in which it can turn when a picking shoe is engaged by a picking roller.

In this Construction the picking shaft T can be turned but cannot slide horidontally on account of the side thrust of roller 22 against a cam face 35. In either case, spring O will return pcker stick A, lug strap 30, sweep stick 31, sweep arm 32, picking shoe 34 and picking shaft T from their dotted line positions in Fig. l to their full line or normal positions.

A single drive shaft 90 shown in Fig. 7, similar to R, with two crank arms 91, 91 and connecting rods 92, 92 to the lay L can be used with a picking shaft T and a picking shoe 34, entirely omitting the picking roller arms 4, 4 and attacling a picking roller such as 93 to each rod 92 or crank arm 91 to engage a shoe 34. v

As shown in Fig. 7, the motion of crank shaft R is reversed, see arrow, and the shoe face 35 of cam 34 is reversed from that shown in Fig. 3, so that the roller 93 will first engage the low part of cam face 35.

When the crank shaft motion is so reversed to be from front to bottom, back and top center, the picking shaft is raised, the sweep arm extends down instead of up, one picking arm or shoe 34 is fixed to the picking shaft and extends towards the outer side of the loom and its free end is pushed down, against the pull of the pcker stick spring, and then released by the roller 93 which constantly revolves with the single driving crank shaft R or 90.

In Figs. 8 and 9 in place of a picking roller arm 4, there is shown an arm actuating member in the form of a cam 82 fixed on and revoluble with crank shaft R and having a cam face 83 which engages a picking cone roller 84 which is revoluble on the short shaft 85 projecting outwardly from a picking shaft 86 which corresponds with picking shaft T and is in the same position.

This cam 82 and picking cone roller 84 correspond with and serve the same purpose as picking roller arm 4, roller 22 and picking shoe 34 described herein and as shown in the other views. This picking cone roller 34 is of a well known type and the face 83 of cam 82 is cut in a similar manner to but reversed from that of a shoe 34.

The sweep arm 32, sweep stick 31 and the other parts such as N are substantially the same in this cam embodiment of my invention as those shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

As shown in Fig. 7, the shaft 90 revolves in the opposite direction to what is shown as R in Figs. 1, 3, 6 and also in Figs. 9 and 10.

The picking shaft T or 86 is on the inside of the crank arm closer to the longitudinal centre line of the loom and the sweep arm 32 always extends downward therefrom while the picking shoe 34 and cone picking roller 84 extend from the picking shaft 86 or picking shaft T towards the outside of the loom. Thus when the shoe, cam arm or cone roller is pushed down, it turns the picking shaft so that the lower end of the sweep arm pulls the sweep stick 31 and pcker stick A towards the inside or middle of the loom.

As shown in Fig. 10, a cam or a section of a cam 98 with a face 99 could be located outside of crank arm 1 on crank shaft R engaging a picking cone roller 84 or some other type of roller.

However, I prefer to use an elongated sweep stick and to locate my pcker shafts, and mechancal means for laterally reciprocating the same in a zone between the pair of crank arms on the single drive shaft and in a plane just below the plane of the drive shaft. I 'am thus enabled to save in cost of manufacture by entirely eliminating a separate drive shaft and gears for the pcker sticks, to consolidate the moving parts of the lay and pcker sticks well above floor level and centrally of the loom where the cloth and yarn may be protected from oil spatters by a simple shield, and to secure perfect synchronization of the lay and pcker sticks since they are powered from the same shaft.

I claim:

1. The combination with a weaving loom having a frame, a head motion and a pattern chain, a breast beam, a reciprocating lay carried by swords and having a shuttle race and a pcker stick and pcker at the right and another pcker stick and pcker at the left, there being a lug strap and a sweep stick to operate each pcker stick; of a single drive shaft revoluble in bearings near the top of the loom, said shaft having two cranks each connected to the lay by a connecting rod; shaft driving means including a V type sheave at one end of the drive shaft, a drivng motor with a shaft which carries another V shaped sheave with an endless V belt between the two sheaves; two picking roller arms, each fixed to and powered by said single drive shaft, and each having a picking roller near its end to engage a picking shoe; two picking shafts, each extending from front to back and turnable in a bearing near the front and in a bearing near the'back of the loom, two picking shoes, each extending radially from a pcker shaft toward the adjacent side of the loom and having a cam surface in position to be engaged by a picking roller on a picking roller arm, and a sweep arm carried by each picking shaft and projecting downward therefrorn, each sweep arm being pivoted to a sweep stick for moving a pcker stick.

2. A loom of the character described in claim 1, wherein picking shaft is supported pivotally and turnably in a bearing at the front of the loom and is supported turnably and slidably in a bearing at the back of the loom, plus alternate picking mechanism to laterally slide the back end of each picking shaft thereby moving the cam face of its shoe alternately into the path of each picking roller carried by a roller arm extending downward from the drive shaft.

3. A loom of the character described in claim 2, wherein the alternate picking mechanism includes two toggle joints, each pivoted to the loom at its inside terminal end and each carrying a collar encrcling one of said picking shafts at its outside terminal end, two tension springs each fixed at one end to the loom and connected at the other end to the joint of a toggle, and a cord extending from the joint of each toggle, to one of the pattern chains of the loom, head motion for actuating said toggle joints.

4. The combination with a weaving loom having a frame, a breast beam, a reciprocatng lay carried by swords and having a shuttle race and a pcker stick and pcker at the right and another pcker stick and pcker at the left, there being a lug strap and a sweep stick to operate each pcker stick; of a single drive shaft revoluble in bearings on each side of the loom near the top of the loom said shaft having two cranks each connected to the lay by a connecting rod; means to drive the drive shaft; two picking shoe actuatng members each revoluble with and fixed to said single shaft, and adapted to engage a picking shoe on a picking shaft; two picking shafts, each extending from front to back and each turnable in a bearing near the front and in a bearing near the back of the loom, two picking shoes each extending radially from a pcker shaft toward the adjacent side of the loom and having a cam surface in position to be engaged by one of the picking shoe actuating members revoluble with the drive shaft, and a sweep arm carried by each picking shaft and projecting downward therefrom, each sweep arm being pivoted to a sweep stick for moving a picker stick.

5. In a loom the combination of a single revolvable drive slaft extending laterally of the loom intermediate thereof and at a level well above floor level; means for revolving said shaft; a pair of spaced apart crank arms each fixed to said shaft proximate an opposite end thereof and operably connected to the lay for reciprocating the same longtudinally during weaving; a pair of spaced apart, longitudinally extending picker shafts, supported in front and rear bearings at a level proxmate said shaft level on said loom, each said shaft being located closer to the longitudnal centre line of the loom than said crank arms and each being operably connected to the adjacent picker stick for reciprocating the same laterally during weaving; a pair of radially extending arms, each having its base fixed to a picker shaft and its free terminal end in the path of an arm actuating member and a pair of radially extending arm actuating members, each fixed to and revolvable with said single drive shaft and each having its free terminal end arranged to actuatc an arm in its path during each revolution of said member.

6. A loom as specified in claim 5 wherein each radially extending arm actuating member is attached to and forms a part of one of said crank arms.

7. A loom as specified in claim 5 Whcrein the radial arms fixed to each picker shaft normally extend horizontally in a direction away from each other and away from the longitudinal centre line of the loom.

8. A loom as specified in claim 5 wherein each radially extending arm actuatng member is fixed to said single drive shaft in the zone thereof between a crank arm and a picker shaft.

9. A loom as specified in claim 5 plus automatic means for moving the radially extending arm on each picker stick into and out of the path of its arm actuating member in synchronizaton with the movement of the lay.

10. A loom as specified in claim 5 plus a laterally elongated bearng for one end of each of said picker shafts for pernitting lateral movement of said ends, a collar encircling each picker shaft intermediate thereof and means, operably connected to a weave pattern mechanism of the loom, for transmitting lateral motion through said collar to said shaft thereby moving the radially extending arm thereof into and out of the path of its arm actuating member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 503,470 Emcry Aug. 15, 1893 638935 McMichael Dec. 12, 1899 720316 Blanchette Feb. 10, 1903 2,495,503 Beatrice Jan. 24, 1950 2,642,093 Picanol June 16, 1953 

